Resources
Resources Cited at MT2030 Workshop
Zero Waste Full Plates: Strategies for Food Recovery in Mountain Towns
Understanding the Climate Cost of Wasting Food
ReFED is a U.S.-based nonprofit working to catalyze the food system toward evidence-based action to stop wasting food. https://refed.org/
Food Waste Action Guide
Food Waste Data and Environmental Impacts
ReFED | Food Waste Data – Causes & Impacts
EC, JRC/PBL, 2012 Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research, version 4.2
ReFED/2024 The Methane Impact of Food Loss and Waste in the United States
Understanding Food Insecurity in Our Communities
Food insecurity is not always easy to see, but it affects many of our neighbors. It happens when people do not have reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food. Rising housing costs, childcare expenses, and medical bills often force families to make tough choices that leave their plates empty.
Self-Sufficiency Standard
Shows how much income families need to cover basics like housing, food, and transportation. Many states use this standard. There are data sets for Colorado (2022), Wyoming (2024), Utah (2025) Learn more ›
There is a site called Tableau Public where people can publish visual representations of data sets. The data sets for Wyoming and Colorado are linked below.
Wyoming 2024 Data: Interactive charts on living costs across Wyoming. View ›
Colorado 2022 Data: County-by-county look at what it costs to get by in Colorado. View ›
Map the Meal Gap
Feeding America’s map of food insecurity rates and meal costs across every U.S. county. This is good for relative data related to food insecurity, percentage of food insecure households that don’t qualify for SNAP, and average meal cost according to the Thrifty Meal Plan. It’s really interesting to interact with. Explore ›
MIT Living Wage Calculator
Estimates the hourly wage needed to meet basic living expenses in each area. This has recent data for all counties.
Use the calculator ›
Food Waste Policy and Liability Protection
U.S. Food Waste Policy Finder
Explore food waste and donation policies by state to understand liability protections and tax incentives. Search policies ›
Federal Liability Protection for Food Donation
Overview of the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, which protects good-faith food donors. Read fact sheet ›
Federal Enhanced Tax Deduction for Food Donation
Guide for businesses on how to claim enhanced federal tax deductions when donating food. Read guide ›
Calculate impacts of different wasted food management options
ReFED Insights Engine
Research and data on reducing food waste, with tools and market analysis for real solutions. Explore insights ›
Impact Calculator: Calculate the environmental benefits of food rescue, including greenhouse gas reductions. Try it ›
Volunteer Management
There are many food rescue specific tools for route, volunteer, and data management.
Here are a few examples.
Finding Partners
Food Rescue Alliance
Local Food Pantries look up “Find Food” in your location
App used for finding food that CAFE Food Rescue uses to schedule pop-up markets.